How a Photographer Got a Rare Shot of James Mattis

Defense Secretary James Mattis declined to sit for a portrait for Sunday’s New York Times Magazine cover story, “Last Man Standing,” by Robert F. Worth. So to provide readers with an original image of Mr. Mattis, the magazine needed to photograph the secretary during his limited public appearances, which happen about once a week when he briefly walks down the Pentagon steps to welcome visiting dignitaries.For the assignment, the magazine enlisted the photographer Mark Peterson, a contributor to The Times for over 20 years, who is known for his skill at capturing candid shots that tell a full story. Mr. Peterson took the picture that would become Sunday’s cover of The Times Magazine on his second trip to the Pentagon for this assignment, as Mr. Mattis met with the defense minister of Estonia in early March. Mr. Peterson recently explained how he got the shot.

When did you get the call to work on this assignment? I would guess a month ago. The photo editor said that they didn’t have any access, so they were hoping to make something from his public appearances, and his public appearances are basically walking down a 12- or 15-step entrance at the Pentagon and shaking hands with somebody getting out of the car, and then turning around and walking up the steps and standing there while their national anthems are being played. And then they go inside and sit down at a table for a formal meeting. You can usually photograph that for about a minute, while they say cordials to each other.

How difficult was it to get into the spot where you took the picture of Mr. Mattis?Any photography is a matter of luck. I hadn’t shot at the Pentagon a lot. So, I asked the public affairs person what happens during the ceremony, and they gave me two options of where to shoot — either from straight on, which would basically be a shot of them with their hands on their hearts and the honor guard flanking them — a very formal picture. Or you could try from the side. I felt like the side you’d have more opportunity to frame them differently.

It is just luck. It is not any skill on my part. You’re just praying that they move into the area you’re hoping, and that there’s a gesture that then works at that moment. I was down low on my knees, I think, shooting through the honor guard, and in my mind, hoping he would turn to his right a little bit so you could see his face, and he did. He just looked that way for a frame, so that is what made the shot. If he had been looking the other way it wouldn’t have worked. But it was just luck. You’re just praying that what you think could happen, happened.

How long was the total time Mr. Mattis was standing there?Ten minutes maybe, total.

What do you look for in a shot? Chaos, controlled chaos is usually what I like — where there’s just a lot happening but it all fits into the frame. If there’s enough chaotic nature or kinetic feeling or movement that is what I really like. I’m trying to get as much information into one frame and still have it be something that you want to look at.

How do you use the medium of photography to tell that story?The power of photography is it freezes the moment. What you’re hoping with a still image is to create something that is frozen, so you look at it, but you can see the past and the future in that moment.

Correction:

An earlier version of this article misstated the official with whom Mr. Mattis was meeting and when the photograph was taken. It was the defense minister of Estonia, not of Montenegro, and the photograph was taken in early March, not late February.

To see Mr. Peterson’s photographs of Defense Secretary James Mattis and the corresponding story, go to nytimes.com/magazine.